WordPress' Gutenberg editor offers a versatile approach to creating and editing content on the platform. For users not particularly comfortable with some of the features and functionalities of the classic editor, Gutenberg offers a more flexible, more convenient alternative.
Thanks to these reasons, and its flexibility and adaptability, it is no surprise that a lot of amazing plugins exist out there all built to serve as a consolidation to the traditional editor and provide numerous Gutenberg-support functions.
We take a look at some of the best of these plugins. We also analyse their pros and cons and the features that make them special.
MB Blocks
MB Blocks is a PHP-based Gutenberg extension from Meta Box, a WordPress development company known for its simplicity and elegance. MB Blocks is particularly worth mentioning thanks to its ease-of-use, which it gets by not sacrificing simplicity for innovation, but instead perfectly combines both such that it doesn't differ so much in operation from its predecessors, but is at the same time a significant upgrade from them.
You can see how to use this plugin to create Gutenberg blocks here.
Pros:
- Remarkably easy to master and use.
- Suitable for both long time developers and regular WordPress users without prior experience in development.
- Easy to set-up and use.
Cons:
- Limited font options.
Getwid
Getwid is developed by MotoPress, a renowned WordPress developer without about thirty years in the business. Getwid takes the functionality of Gutenberg to the next level with its ease of control, and about thirty block options.
It is also easy to set up, and highly compatible with other plugins such as Instagram and MailChimp among others.
Pros
- The remarkable array of pre-made templates, all easy to find and navigate.
- Easy installation and insertion of blocks.
- Lightweight and do not cause page bloat which hinders speed.
- It has a comprehensive section block which makes it possible to design and create even more complex layouts.
- It has an inbuilt Instagram block, meaning there's no need to install additional plugins for that purpose.
- Highly compatible with third-party applications such as MailChimp.
Cons:
- Some blocks are harder to figure out.
- Some blocks cannot be further customized.
Ultimate Blocks
Ultimate Blocks is another Gutenberg plugin enjoying remarkable popularity at the moment, thanks to its simplicity and efficiency. It provides eighteen additional blocks, all with blogging and e-commerce capabilities, as well as smooth integration with other necessary plugins.
Its major emphasis, however, is on blog posts, and as such it possesses virtually everything you need to make a good-looking, elegant block post.
Pros
- Eighteen free blocks.
- Blocks can be enabled and disabled conveniently.
- Highly customisable buttons.
- Adds a nice touch with its countdown block.
It comes with a free backend demo function.
Cons
- Layout options are limited.
- Typography choice is limited and highly dependent on the theme.
Stackable
The appeal of the Stackable, no doubt, lies in its uniqueness. From the get-go, it is obvious the developers of this plugin set out to create a design that would provide an edge and a good amount of uniqueness for your websites.
It is also highly versatile, robust enough without being bloated, and boasts of a wide adoption with more than ten thousand active installations.
Pros
- It offers numerous free Gutenberg blocks.
- Straight-forward and lightweight without excessive, unnecessary features.
- Video background available in the free version.
Cons
- There are only a limited number of fonts available for some blocks.
- It also has a limited typography setting, choosing instead to inherit fonts design from the parent theme.
Coblocks
Last on our list is Coblocks, known for its ease and flexibility. It is free to download and smooth to operate while offering additional useful blocks such as gif blocks, tweet-sharing block, Section and Layout block, Advanced Columns block, Newsletter block, and much more.
Initially built by ThemeBeans, which was acquired by GoDaddy, the plugin boasts of having a significant amount of unique blocks, perhaps more than any of its competitors, and what's even more impressive is that most of these are available for free.
Pros
- Smooth and easy layout, with a high amount of control from the user's end.
- Compatible with an integrated contact form.
- Customizable media card to display text and media combo with great flexibility.
- Compatible with an integrated Google Maps.
- A plugin is lightweight and does not increase page load time.
- High control over typography.
- It comes with 25 free blocks.
Cons
- It does not have a proper demo function.
Spectra
Spectra is a powerful plugin for the block editor. It's built by Brainstorm Force, the company behind the popular Astra theme.
Spectra simplifies the website creation process, making it easy to use for beginners and feature-rich for experienced designers. It comes with a wide range of pre-designed templates and lots of blocks and patterns.
Pros
- Built by a reputable company with a good history in WordPress
- Has pre-design templates and patterns
- Optimized for performance
Cons
- While it can be used with any themes, it's best to use with Astra.
Conclusion
The block editor is so powerful that it can help you build the whole website and landing pages visually. It also allows you to extend the functionality, adding more blocks, pattern or templates with plugins. I hope this article provides you some options for that. If you like any of the plugin, please share this article with your friends.
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